I see a white Dodge Ram pickup truck pull up beside me, with a familiar scruffy man sitting behind the wheel. I throw my duffle bag over my shoulder and open the passenger door, sliding onto the beige vinyl seat and slamming the door closed behind me.
“Hey, Brax. Long time no see,” he murmurs cautiously. I don’t blame the guy. I represent everything he wished he had the strength to do; go up against the might of Michael Evans.
“You’re telling me, brother. Looks like you’re doing well for yourself,” I remark with a grin.
I look him over. He’s got cloudy blue eyes, a couple of shades darker than mine, brown hair that sticks up at the top. It looks like he’s just had a woman’s hands running through it all night long. He has a smattering of stubble across his cheeks and top lip that makes him look rough around the edges. I’m sure that’s the look he’s going for, rugged and scary.
Devon laughs. “Yeah, well it seems keeping on the straight and narrow can be just as lucrative. Working during a construction boom works just as well too.”
“I can’t thank you enough for this,” I say mournfully. “I just wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Enough of the sappy shit. Let’s get on the road and get you back to your girl. What’s her name?” he says as he turns the wheel, pulling back out into the slowly building traffic.
I check the clock on the dash and realize that it’s been five hours since Elle was shot. I haven’t heard from Shay again. I need to hear that she’s okay, or at least going to be.
“Her name is Elle. From the West Coast originally, but is now going to school near New York,” I reply. “I was working a job, protecting her. Fat lot of good that did, considering I got conned into leaving her, then a week later she gets shot in her own bed.”
“Shit, bro. Is she okay?”
“Shay got there straight after it happened. Got the shooter too, but when he was checking on Elle he got away. Last I heard she was in the ER and was headed into surgery.” I know I’ve made many mistakes, but I want to make it right. I want to tell Elle everything, but I hope like hell she’ll forgive me for lying to her for so long.
“You wanna use my cell to call Shay? Get an update? We’ve got at least twelve hours driving ahead of us if we don’t stop too much and switch driving. That’ll make it close to six pm when we get there,” he surmises.
I grab the phone that he holds out to me. “Thanks, D. I’m still not sure if mine is being monitored, but I’ve already sent Shay some texts. Kind of had to.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “By who?”
“By Gibbons, my supervisor. The boss and I think he’s compromised.”
Devon lets out a hissed breath through his teeth. “Shit, you don’t want that in a security op. What’s the boss doing about it?”
“Tracking his movements, and looking for connections. He has a burner with him at all times that he never lets out of his sight apparently, but we’re hoping he’ll slip up so that we can put a tracker on it, too. We think he’s working for Harry Brimstone, a businessman from Los Angeles. He wants to take over Elle’s company, but she refused.”
“Caught yourself a rich one then?” he asks, sounding surprised.
“It’s not like I’m short of cash, D. My work has been very lucrative,” I retort, getting annoyed at his insinuation.
“Damn, knew I should’ve looked you up,” he replies with a laugh. “I’m joking. Look, it’s all good. Why don’t you ring Shay and then catch some sleep? I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn to drive.” That sounds like a really great idea.
I dial Shay’s number and wait for him to answer, my nerves now completely shot from worry and exhaustion.
“Shay,” he answers.
I clear my throat, trying to sound normal. “It’s me. Please tell me she’s okay.”
“Devon’s phone I assume? I was starting to worry about you, man,” he says quietly.
“I’m fine. Just desperate to see my girl. Is she out of surgery?”
“Yeah, she’s okay, came out about half an hour ago. She’s in the ICU now. They had a bit of trouble stopping the bleeding, but they think she is going to be fine. She had a punctured lung and lost a lot of blood. They had to give her a blood transfusion in the OR,” he explains.
I breathe out loudly. “Fuck, dude! How did this happen?”
“I’ve been racking my brain, man. The guy must’ve already been in the building. I’ve been watching her like a hawk. I didn’t want to risk anything, especially not knowing what Gibbons is capable of. When the trip alarm on her front door pinged, I knew something was up. I got up there straight after she hung up from you, heard the gun shot from the foyer, and raced inside. I knocked the f**ker out, but he escaped when I was checking on her.”
“Who was it?” I ask.
“No idea, but he was a professional. He had a ski mask on and was dressed in black, head to toe. He will definitely have a sore head this morning, though. His head met the kitchen wall. Hard.”
“He wouldn’t have been breathing had I been there. You sure she’s going to be okay?”
He’s silent for a moment. “Last report from the nurse said that barring complications, she’ll be fine, but it is going to take a while for her to recover. I’m so sorry, B. I should’ve gotten inside quicker.” He sounds gutted.
“I don’t blame you, Shay. I’m just glad you got there when you did. Otherwise, I might’ve lost her.
“Wouldn’t have let that happen.”
“I know. We’re just leaving Charlotte, but I’ll text you in a few hours for another update, okay?” I say, signing off.
“Sure thing, B. Drive safe.”
I swallow down the lump forming in my throat. It wouldn’t be good form to break down in front of my older brother, so I clear my throat before I talk again. “Shay, thanks for looking after her for me.”
He goes silent again. I know how hard this whole situation must be for him. “Was never gonna let anything happen to her. I’d do anything to keep you from going through the hell I went through.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I have to get to her.
3
Could this drive take any longer? We’re about two hours away from Elle, and Devon has to stop to stretch his legs. I drove for a few hours, but Devon told me it was probably safer for him to drive, given that I can only think about Elle.